Press Releases, 18/01/2018 | Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

The new visual identity of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs reacts to world events

The new visual identity of the Foreign Service conveys the message of an organisation that operates in a stable manner in a turbulent world and that works to make the world a better place. The special feature of the identity is the innovative utilisation of the logo in the visualisation of data.

The new visual identity of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic missions is being taken into use on 18 January. The Global Cycles concept of the new identity illustrates an internationally credible, agile and innovative actor that operates in a stable manner and exerts influence in a tumultuous world. The undulations of the globe-shaped basic blue logo denote things that affect Finland and that Finland can influence through the Foreign Service. The identity is designed to be flexible for different uses and adapts to both dignified representation and marketing-oriented needs.

In a digital world the logo becomes functional

The globe image, a key element of the new visual identity, functions dynamically in digital environments. A specific user interface capable of receiving real-time data signals has been built for the globe of the logo. This enables the Foreign Service to communicate in a new way about themes important to it, and to visualise different aspects of world events. The dynamic logo can react, for instance, to statistics or sound. At the launch of the visual identity at the travel fair Matka 2018, the new feature is utilised to visualise travel information on a hemisphere bigger than two metres.

The functionality of the Foreign Service’s new visual identity is a concrete illustration of innovativeness and Finnish technological know-how. It also highlights the active nature of Finland’s foreign policy. The new visual identity was designed by Mikael Kivelä, Head of Design at the design agency 358, on the basis of the goals created jointly by the staff.